<p>Clipse<br><i>?Hell Hath No Fury?</i><br>JIVE RECORDS<br><img src=http://www.dailybruin.com/ae/paw.jpg width=25 align=left><img src=http://www.dailybruin.com/ae/paw.jpg width=25 align=left><img src=http://www.dailybruin.com/ae/paw.jpg width=25 align=left><img src=http://www.dailybruin.com/ae/paw.jpg width=25 align=left><img src=http://www.dailybruin.com/ae/paw.jpg width=25 align=left></p> <p>Selling crack is not a new topic for hip-hop. It?s a tried-and-true formula for rap success; Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. were both former dealers who parlayed their pasts into profitable careers as rappers. <br/>?Coke rap,? as it has come to be called, has grown stagnant. At its best, the songs are epic tales of a hustler?s lifestyle. <br/>At its worst, rappers resort to tired cliches about how many rocks they slung. <br/>That?s why ?Hell Hath No Fury,? the long-awaited album by Virginia-based duo Clipse, is so refreshing. <br/>Brothers Pusha T and Malice make coke rap with pathos, examining the pitfalls and benefits of their crack-dealing pasts. <br/>But to dismiss ?Hell Hath No Fury? as merely coke rap is doing Clipse a major disservice. <br/>Their rhymes are laden with double meanings, bruising metaphors and clever punch lines. <br/>The flows are largely unadorned, with straightforward rhyme schemes that lack the complexity of other rappers. <br/>However, the simplicity of the flows is an asset, lending urgency and power to the lyrics. <br/>Likewise, the excellent production by the Neptunes is minimalist (Pusha has said to ?think Mantronix?). <br/>The beats are simple but effective, relying on hard drums and sounds that range from accordions to the steel drums and garbage-can percussion of second single ?Wamp Wamp (What It Do).? <br/>Even with the great beats, the key to the album remains Pusha and Mal?s emotionally-charged lyrics. <br/>The first track, ?We Got It 4 Cheap,? is an energetic opener, setting the tone of the album both aurally and thematically. <br/>The simple organ riff and 808 drums accompany lines by Pusha T such as: ?I?m more in touch with the keys / Move over, Alicia / I force-feed you the metric scale / Rap?s like child?s play, my show-and-tell.? <br/>On ?Keys Open Doors,? Malice talks of his success and shows glimpses of the faith that grounds the group: ?The kids are happy, the perfect picture / Gem star razor, the fruit of my labor / And I walk with a glow, it?s like the Lord showed favor.? <br/>The 12 songs clock in at 49 minutes, making ?Hell Hath No Fury? one of those rare hip-hop albums that eschews skits and a lengthy list of guests in favor of a taut, focused musical statement. <br/>The cohesiveness of the production and the lyrics combine to make one of the best hip-hop records in recent memory, showing us why there?s no business like snow business. <br/><hr><div align=center><img src=/images/2006/9/29/Ratings.jpg></div></p><br><br><a href='; target='_blank'>;